"You can dance anywhere, even if only in your heart."- Author unknown

Bruises. Bumps. Burns. Scrapes. And it is all so worth it. Six weeks ago, I started pole dancing classes. Yep, that's what I said. Pole dancing. I went to a bachelorette party back in the beginning of June and that's what we did, and now I am in love with my new hobby! So, I go twice a week and tighten my abs, beat up my knees, have burns on the top of my feet, but great calves from wearing heels all the time. No, it's not that crazy pole dancing like in Striptease or something. It's "fitness class". Seriously. It's the best workouts I've had in years. And it's liberating. Tonight, our instructor made us do individual 2 minute dances in front of the class. I was super nervous, but had a blast. So, I have signed up for another 6 week series and hope that is continues. Oh, and yes, we have recitals and a "pole meet" coming up. Just think a swim meet with a pole...:) Sorry no pictures!

"We Aquire the Strength we have Overcome"- Emerson

So, my new hobby...yep, pole dancing. I am LOVING it. I go every Monday night from 8:30-9:45 and feel so good when I leave. Now when I say enjoy, that does not necessarily mean it is easy. Oh no. In fact, last night was my first lesson on climbing. The past four weeks we have been working on spins and dances and such, but last night, we did the chair sit. Followed by the attempt to climb the pole. And let me just say, I have a new respect for strippers. The fact of the matter is that I need to work on my upper body strength. And, I got to the point where I was about two scoots from the top, but just couldn't do it. But that's ok. It just gives me motivation for when I go in for my practice session on Thursday. Forget the bruises on my leg. Or the internal bleeding mark (according to Shane) on my upper thigh. I will conquer that pole.

"There are very many people who read simply to prevent them from thinking." -G.C. Lichtenberg

In my multitudes of car trips this summer from one shower to another, followed by a bachelorette party, followed by a wedding here and there, I am now obsessed with books on cd. It takes everything to get me out of the car at night. It makes my mornings to listen to 5 minutes of a book, instead of trashy talk radio of the same top 40 song I’ve heard the past 4 mornings. I didn’t say they had to be great, thought provoking books, but entertaining and delightful. I am now on hour 9 of Danielle Steel’s Sisters and it has made me laugh and cry out loud. On my way into work this morning I got sad thinking that I was on the last cd and pretty soon the adventure of these 4 lovely sisters will be over, and then what am I left with? I guess another reason to travel to Cracker Barrel and get another one!

"Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience." - Victoria Holt

Is it possible for the same heartbreak to resurface, time and time again? It’s like a scary movie…you know there something lurking around the corner and you do everything to avoid it and put it off, but in the end, you round the corner to pure devastation. Just doesn’t make sense. It’s really a lose/lose situation. You talk about it, you’re unhappy. You ignore it, you’re unhappy. You drink over it, you’re really unhappy. Time doesn’t help, distance doesn’t help, so what is the cure? I guess a mixture of all of the above. The most trying thing of all of it, is it is summer time, I am in the most beautiful city in the world, and yet, I am still unhappy. Scars that don’t go away serve as a constant reminder. At the end of the day, I go to bed and count my blessings for what and who I have. And also thank God for the memories both good and bad of the past. Heartbreak is like a leech- it slowly will suck the life out of you if you let it. But, if you put it in fresh water, it can’t handle to change of pure, clean refreshment, and will die and fall off. We all need to put ourselves in clean fresh water sometimes and wait for the pain to slowly drift away.